The Kings, who lost one forward to injury and another to suspension in the first two games of their season-long seven-game road trip, lost two more Tuesday in Carolina when they traded Marian Gaborik and Nick Shore to Ottawa for defenseman Dion Phaneuf and center Nate Thompson following a 7-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Here are three things the trade could mean, for the rest of this season and going forward:
Defense has lately been a sore spot for the Kings, who have given up four or more goals four times in their last nine games, including a season-high seven in Tuesday's blowout loss to Carolina.